Non-Ferrous metals recycling

Metals recycling is a major industry worldwide. A lot of recyclers specialise in processing non-ferrous metals. Today, this part of the global recycling market is valued at almost EUR 580 billion. Market analysts expect steady growth in the next few years.

What kind of scrap?

There are various types of non-ferrous scrap companies may handle, including:

• Copper
• Aluminium
• Zinc
• Brass
• Nickel
• Lead
• Tin
• Precious metals
• Rare earth metals

The latter two categories include gold and silver as well as platinum, rhodium and palladium, also called platinum group metals. Meanwhile, neodymium, cobalt, lithium and manganese are popular rare earths. Lithium counts as the main ingredient for modern-day batteries.  

How do recyclers handle scrap?

Recyclers collect non-ferrous metals from different sources, such as local businesses, supermarkets, municipalities and charities. Industry is the main source of non-ferrous scrap. For example, the material may come from construction & demolition sites or factories.

Once the material is transported to the recycling yard, it is weighed, shredded or cut, sorted, and baled. The sorting process is achieved by means of magnetic sorters, laser-indused breakdown spectroscopy or X-ray spectroscopy. Smart sorters driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are also gaining momentum.

Some recyclers smelt the metals on-site while others prefer to work with industry partners that operate commercial-scale smelting facilities. Most players are switching to an electric arc furnace while others are still running a traditional blast furnace.

Who represents the recyclers?

Metal recyclers have created trade organisations to advocate on their behalf. These will typically cover recycling in a specific city, region or country. Examples include:

• EuRIC (Europe)
• BIR (Worldwide)
• ReMA – formerly ISRI (USA)
• BVSE (Germany)
• MRF (Netherlands)
• RAA (Africa)
• BMRA (UK)

Legislation regarding metals recycling

In pursuit of a circular economy, legislators around the world are enforcing recycling-specific regulations. Some have set strict targets for recycled content in new products, others have outlined the recyclability of certain products.

They have also introduced increasingly more ambitous collection rates and recycling rates that apply to various waste streams. The next deadline for most targets is set for 2025 or 2030.

You may have heard of these:

• WEEE Directive (electronics recycling)
• ELV Directive (end-of-life car recycling)
• Ship Recycling Regulation (vessels recycling)
• PPWR (packaging recycling)